Environment

. Space launches can have a hefty carbon footprint due to the burning of solid rocket fuels. Many rockets are, however, propelled by liquid hydrogen fuel, which produces ‘clean’ water vapour exhaust, although the production of hydrogen itself can cause significant carbon emissions. Rocket engines release trace gases into the upper atmosphere that contribute to … Read more

. Due to its low capital cost, groundwater is the most preferred source of water in India. According to an  estimate, groundwater accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the rural domestic water needs, and 50 per  cent of the urban water needs in India.   However, a variety of land and water- based human activities … Read more

Government of India has been conserving snow leopard and its habitat through the Project Snow Leopard (PSL). The PSL was launched in 2009. Government is committed to landscape restoration for snow leopard habitat conservation, and implementing participatory landscape-based management plans involving local stakeholders, the. The Minister said, India is also party to the Global Snow … Read more

The main objective of this authority is to complement and strengthen the national effort                in conservation of the rich biodiversity of the country, particularly the fauna as per the  national zoo policy,1998. The functions of Central zoo authority are as follows: Specify the minimum standards for housing, upkeep and veterinary care of the animal … Read more

. The salient features of the Draft National Water Policy (2012) are presented  below: Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys, amendment of Irrigation Acts,  Indian Easements Act, 1882, etc. Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and … Read more

SHC is a printed report which contains nutrient status of soil with respect to 12 nutrients: pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu) of farm holdings. SHC will be provided to all farmers in the country at … Read more

The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.The species is listed as … Read more

. A still larger issue now emerging is the environmental issues, erosion of forest cover, etc,  around the infrastructure projects. The present issues being faced in Orissa and other  states on projects which can not only alter the face of the state but also the nation in terms  of economic development need deeper introspection. The … Read more

Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world’s oceans and large lakes. They are caused by “excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water. Historically, many of these sites were naturally occurring. However, in the 1970s, oceanographers … Read more